Yesterday, on “The View” Sherri Shepherd and Whoopi Goldberg went against the grain and started low key bad-mouthing their home network, ABC. For years people have been calling for a black bachelor and they said the network should cast Marquel, a former contestant on “The Bachelorette.”

Not only is Marquel fine as that thang, he handles himself well under pressure. Racial pressure. During an episode of “The Bachelorette,” another contestant told Marquel that a fellow competitor referred to him and other black contender as “two blackies.”

The news got back to Marquel and in his confessional interview, he expressed, very passionately, how being judged on his skin color without people taking the time to get to know him is hurtful.

You can hear what he had to say in the video below.

Here’s the transcription if you need it:

“Either way, it hurts just cause, like sometimes no matter how you treat a person, they just have this, this idea of you. You know what I mean? I hate getting emotional of it but judge me off of me. It’s crazy to think that the first thing people are going to recognize about me is that, ‘ok, he’s the black guy. It’s not like ‘hey, that dude he’s respectful, I’m sure he was raised right, I’m sure he has strong beliefs.’ It would be nice to not be seen as just this is the black guy. But I guess, that’s what it is.”

Even though I would have expected an offensive term or two, being surrounded in a house full of competitive white men, my heart still goes out to the guy. Most black people in America, know what it means to be judged solely off of our color and it is hurtful, no matter how many times you experience it.

Marquel tugged at our heartstrings and the women on “The View,” specifically Whoopi and Sherri but Jenny as well argued that Marquel deserves the next spot. But they admitted that ABC is fearful of casting a black man in the position. Whoopi said, “I think maybe ABC is not as comfortable with this because they don’t want the folks who really don’t get it at all to get on top of them and make it difficult for the show to go on.”

She went as far as saying that the network might be pandering to the segment of the American population who are still scared of seeing black men with white women. Y’all know Whoopi’s not scared to go there.

And then Sherri said, “I think they feel the numbers will not be good, I think it’s a money thing, I think it’s a corporate thing. I think the executives feel that if there was a black Bachelor, if there was a female Bachelorette who was black, the numbers would not support – the ratings [would be bad].”

The ladies of “The View” aren’t the only ones gunning for Marquel. There are several sites championing him. But they’ll have a long road ahead. Rumors have started to swirl that Chris, a [white] farmer, is going to be the next bachelor.

Have you been watching “The Bachelorette”? Do you think Marquel would make a good bachelor? Do you think ABC and the country at large is ready to take this step?

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